Legendary Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson had a number of strict transfer rules during his time at Old Trafford but went against his own advice to sign one particular player – former Fulham striker Louis Saha

Iconic Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson broke his own transfer rules to complete a deal with former Fulham star Louis Saha.

The former France striker is a figure of great interest to both clubs ahead of their meeting in the FA Cup quarter-finals this weekend. He scored 63 goals in 142 appearances for the Whites between 2000 and 2004 following his arrival from Metz.

With the Red Devils needing more inspiration in the Premier League title race, Ferguson turned to the transfer market. He was tempted by a move for Saha but sought advice from some of his own players including legendary right-back Gary Neville – something he had never done before.

“Sir Alex never asked us which players we should sign or never asked us for information about players he was going to sign,” Neville confirmed to Sky Sports. “But after we played Fulham once in the FA Cup (in 2001), he actually asked us as defenders, are we going to sign Louis Saha? We all said ‘yes’ straight away.

“I remember the season he played up front with Wazza [Wayne Rooney] in 2006 and it was amazing; they are fantastic together. Louis is a brilliant, brilliant player.

“He actually gave me nightmares when I played against him when he played for Fulham – him and Luis Boa Morte.

Ultimately, the Red Devils sealed a deal for Saha on 23 January 2004 for a fee of £12.4 million – the striker signed a five-and-a-half year contract. He enjoyed an immediate impact at Old Trafford scoring seven goals in his first 12 league appearances.
He played a part as United won the FA Cup but they struggled elsewhere finishing third in the Premier League, while they were knocked out of the Champions League by Jose Mourinho’s Porto.

Saha eventually made 124 appearances for Man United during his time with the club, scoring 42 goals. His time as a Red Devils was severely disrupted through injury as he never made more than 24 Premier League appearances in a single season, something he admits he is ashamed of.

“You start to wonder what the other players are saying about you. Instead of just accepting it as bad luck and continuing with the treatment and looking forward, I looked back too much.

“I always thought I had done something to make it happen. I analyzed everything very carefully. But it was wrong, it made me very sad.”

He was eventually sold to Everton in 2008 before going on to represent Tottenham and Sunderland, before ending his career with Italian giants Lazio.